Reminiscence-Based Life Review on Copying With Existential Suffering Among Older Cancer Survivors

Not Applicable

Recruiting

• Conditions: Meaning of Life; Psychological Distress; Cognitive Function; Existential Suffering; Social Support
• Interventions: Behavioral: Reminiscence-Based Life Review

• Registration Number: NCT05525299
• Lead Sponsor: The University of Hong Kong

Brief Summary

Target Issue:

Cognitive impairment in older cancer survivors is highly prevalent and the co-existing neuro-psychiatric symptoms, particularly depression, would further complicate the psychosocial consequence of existential suffering. However, no reminiscence-based interventions are specifically developed for older people with cancer have been developed and evaluated.

Target Population:

Cancer survivors aged 65 years old and above with a mild cognitive impairment identified by the HK-MoCA 5-Min Protocol cognitive assessment.

Intervention:

This research project aims to implement a brief reminiscence-based intervention that includes six reminiscence chatting sessions among older cancer survivors. The proposed reminiscence-based intervention has great potential to provide psychological and spiritual care as well as comfort to those who are weak, aged and are in need of assistance.

Study Objectives:

1. To evaluate the effect of a reminiscence-based life review intervention on copying with existential suffering including meaning of life (primary outcome), cognitive function, psychological distress and social support (secondary outcomes) in older cancer survivors

2. To explore older cancer survivors' experience of the intervention regarding the impact of the intervention on their existential suffering

Study Method:

The investigator will recruit 116 voluntary elder patients from the outpatient oncology clinics of the Queen Mary Hospital to participate in the study. They will be individually randomized at a 1:1 ratio to receive usual care or the brief reminiscence-based intervention at home. Outcomes will be assessed at baseline (T0), post-intervention (T1), and 6-week follow-up (T2). A qualitative interview regarding the feedback on the intervention will be undertaken only in the intervention group.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study First Submitted: 2022-08-26
• Study First Submitted QC: 2022-08-30
• Study First Posted: 2022-09-01
• Study Start: 2022-10-30
• Status Verified: 2023-07
• Last Update Submitted: 2023-07-25
• Last Update Posted: 2023-07-27
• Primary Completion: 2023-08-30
• Study Completion: 2024-08-30

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: RECRUITING
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 116

Inclusion Criteria

• Aged ≥ 65 years
• Diagnosed with stage I-III non-metastatic cancer
• Completed primary treatment with curative intent (surgery, chemotherapy, and/or radiation therapy) 6 months to 5 years prior to baseline assessments with no recurrence or occurrence of additional cancers
• identified as mild cognitive impairment by the HK-MoCA 5-Min Protocol cognitive assessment (≤ 7th age and education corrected percentile cutoff score)

Exclusion Criteria

• Inadequate written and verbal Cantonese and/or English comprehension for study activities
• Diagnosed with dementia

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Intervention	Reminiscence-Based Life Review	A brief reminiscence-based life review with six themes to recall subjects' memory through the life review reminiscence intervention will be given. A total of six reminiscence chatting sessions (30-60 minutes per session) covering these themes will be conducted weekly.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Purpose in life	up to 6 weeks	The purpose in life will be assessed by the Purpose in Life (PIL) Test developed by Crumbaugh and Maholick (1964), which considers the meaning of life as unique and personal for each individual and as changing throughout the life cycle. The PIL test consists of 20 items that saturate four dimensions: perception of meaning (motives, reasons, and valuation of living life); experience of meaning (perception of one's own life and daily life as full of good things); goals and tasks (goals linked to concrete actions in life and perception of personal responsibility) and dialectic/destiny and freedom (tension between destiny and freedom and coping with death as an uncontrollable, unpredictable, and inevitable event).

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Psychological distress	up to 6 weeks	The 21-item version of the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) was used to assess mental well-being via core symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress. Each subscale consists of seven self-report items that are each rated on a 4-point self-report scale from 0 (did not apply to me at all) to 3 (applied to me very much, or most of the time). The subscales possess very good psychometric properties in an older population.
Perceived social support	up to 6 weeks	MSPSS (Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support): 12 items; Likert scale
Cognitive function	up to 6 weeks	The objective cognitive function will be assessed by the HK-MoCA 5-Min Protocol cognitive assessment. The HK-MoCA 5-Min Protocol includes four subtests examining five cognitive domains, namely attention, verbal learning and memory, executive functions/language, and orientation. This measure can be alternatively done by a telephone interview and has excellent test-retest reliability, as well as highly correlated with original MoCA. The self-reported cognitive function will be assessed by the FACT-Cog (Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy - Cognitive Function) scale which consists of 37 items for detecting cancer-related cognitive impairment.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

School of Nursing, The University of Hong Kong; 🇭🇰 Hong Kong, Hong Kong